Belonging as One
by Kuchiki-koo
Summary: When a mysterious chain and its unusual contractor give Break a strange feeling, Break happily investigates. But just what are they involved in, and did Break leave behind more than just his eye in the Abyss? My first Romance, Break x OC.
1. A Glimpse

**Action! And…Romance? But more importantly, it's not in the Humor genre? Wow. Break x OC, if you don't like it then go read something else. As for "Rabbits and Hatters"… I'll update soon. Once I get inspiration! This was under way for some time, so…yeah.  
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**I don't own Pandora Hearts and all that, but both Hollow Eye and our mystery OC is mine…oh, and Armadillo is mine as well, its not the hedgehog Chain things in the anime. **

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**A Glimpse **

Alice led the way, running at full pelt, nearly leaving the rest of the group behind. Raven was a few steps behind her, with Oz a close third. Break brought up the rear, carrying Sharon.

The sound of roaring and shouting became louder as they turned a corner. The chain was not far away. Hopefully, it held a memory fragment, and even if it didn't, it was about to pay for the deaths it had caused.

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_**Flashback:**_

_The trio stared in horror at the sight before them. The bodies that had not been devoured were squashed flat, like bugs under a boot. Walls appeared to have melted by some sort of acid, and the fallen chandelier had been twisted so that it resembled a madman's spaghetti._

'_Well, this chain certainly seems to have an appetite for destruction!' exclaimed a voice behind them. Alice, Oz and Raven turned as one, to face the white haired Pandora member. Behind him, Sharon looked around sadly. Last night, this had been the place of a great party and feast. Now, it was the scene of a tragedy, caused by only one person and their chain. _

_Alice sniffed. 'Whoever they are, we're gonna find them and send them back to the Abyss.' She looked uncertain for a moment, but when Oz questioned her what was wrong, she shrugged and answered that it was nothing._

* * *

Finally, they saw the chain. But the strange thing was that it wasn't just a lone chain wreaking havoc. There were two chains, engaged in combat.

The Armadillo chain roared once again, and launched another ball of acid at its opponent. It was massive, with green spiky shell armour and a large tale that ended like a cannon. Its contractor – a skinny man with a giant moustache and ragged clothes – was standing on its relatively flat head, protected by a wall of spikes.

A clear voice rang out from somewhere in the shadows. '_Hollow Eye, attack again!'_

From its perch on one of the many buildings, the second chain leapt down, snarling and extending its blood red claws. It looked like a purple-gray fox with oversized claws. Its fangs dripped a blood red liquid, and it had three graceful tails. But the most intriguing detail of this chain was its eyes. They had no whites or pupils, and were red like droplets of blood. It had three of these in each slanted hollow eye socket, each smaller than the last. And in the spaces between it eyeballs, there was nothing but empty black…

With agility that surprised them, the Pandora group watched as Hollow Eye avoided Armadillo's acidic projectiles and managed to scratch one of its eyes and the palm of its giant paws. But each time it attacked, it would not directly aim for these exposed parts. It would always head towards the Armadillo's contractor, and be thwarted on each of its attempts to harm him.

Alice snorted. 'Hey, seaweed. Let the B-Rabbit out; I'm gonna show this weakling how it's done!'

Nodding, Raven placed his hand on Oz's head, unleashing the B-Rabbit. Meanwhile, Sharon called Eques and Break unsheathed his hidden sword. The fox chain took one look at them, and then made a whistling sound.

'_Right. We're leaving!_' the mysterious voice said again. It sounded like someone was disguising it. Hollow Eye's red orbs glowed, until the crimson light surrounded it. Swiftly, it leapt up to a window, and the light disappeared.

'Huh, fine, run away back to the Abyss then!' Alice wasted no time slicing up Armadillo, using her scythe to eventually destroy the barrier of spikes that surrounded its contractor. While the Armadillo knocked her away, Raven shot the man in the stomach.

'No! Armadillo, finish them!' screamed the man. The Armadillo charged up a giant ball of acid, ready to drown them in melted rock…

'Get back!' yelled Break, grabbing Sharon and pulling her away from the chain. Raven pushed Oz behind a nearby building and followed his young master, as B-Rabbit flew up to the top of the building.

The man, who had moments before been clutching at the wound in his stomach, screamed and clawed at his chest. His seal had turned for the last time; both hands were resting on twelve –

- Both the man and his massive chain were dragged into the Abyss.

'Thanks Break. Wow, the larger the chain the larger the portal, eh?' Oz seemed to have gotten over his initial shock at seeing someone get dragged into the Abyss. Just as well, because Alice insisted on going chain hunting as often as they could, so they could search for her memories.

'No need to thank me, after all, I can't let you die just yet.' Break chuckled at Alice's angry face – she had wanted to finish the chain off herself.

'Huh. Where's that weak fox chain?' Being as bold as she was, she immediately shouted to the empty streets and dark buildings. 'TOO SCARED OF THE POWERFUL B-RABBIT, HUH? ARE YOU A FOX OR A CHICKEN? I'M GONNA FIND YOU ANYWAY, AND WHEN I D-'

Oz clamped a hand over her mouth, and Raven, well; it wasn't any surprise that he started shouting stupid rabbit. This led to Alice calling him seaweed head. Soon, the quiet road was filled with shouts, insults and requests the Oz should choose between a certain human chain and his childhood friend.

'I have already had Eques track the Chain. We just need to follow them now.'

Three pairs of eyes – and one single red eye – turned to Sharon. Her quick thinking was applauded, and she was showered with compliments.

'Well done, Milady!'

'Heh, I guess you weren't useless after all.'

'Wow Sharon, that's great!'

'Master Oz, your coat has been ripped.'

But it was late, and Sharon had said that Eques was fine, and would inform her if anything went wrong. So they went to a local inn and stayed for the night.

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'Big brother Xerxes, what's wrong?'

'Nothing you should trouble yourself about, Milady.'

'Then there _is_ something wrong, isn't there?'

'No, no. It's late, and Milady needs her beauty sleep!' chuckling, Break disappeared into a shabby closet. He emerged under a table in his own room, and gazed out the window.

_There's something about that chain. That strange feeling… and…why could I see it so __**clearly**__?_

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**So, how was it? Please review! Also,**

_Flashbacks will have the heading __**Flashback**__, be written like this, be written in third person, and be separated by page breaks. Flashback italics = __**this.**_

**But…**

_Personal thoughts and point of views will be written like this, with no heading. They will be written in first person and the italics look like__** this.**_

'THIS IS SHOUTING!'

**Well, I hope that was clear! Happy reading!**


	2. We Meet at Last

**The second chapter of Belonging as One! Our mystery contractor meets the Pandora gang! Will they fight? Yeah! In this chapter, there will be some answers, and many more questions… sorry I took so long (T-T)**

**I don't own Pandora Hearts or its characters, but Cas- ahem; Mystery Contractor, her Chain and Calvaire are mine. If you want to use them, tell me first or something. Sorry if anyone close to you is called Cassi- I mean, the name of my Mystery Contractor, this name was kinda picked at random.**

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We Meet at Last

The voice of a young girl rang out; amid the rhythm of her footsteps on the pavement. 'Are you certain that Eques does not know that we know?'

At first, the girl seemed to be talking to herself. Then, an unnatural darkness surrounded her, and a voice that was almost a hiss rang out. _'Yes.'_

'And you think that Eques is bound by a legal contract, right?'

'_Yes.'_

'So the people on our tail are almost definitely from Pandora, right?'

'_Yes.'_

'Right. Then if we want to pick where we fight, we'd better hurry, eh?'

'_Yes.'_

'Uh, that was a rhetorical question.'

'…'

* * *

'Break, you seem really restless. Why do you want to find that Chain so badly?' questioned Oz.

'Yeah, clown. It's like _you've_ got memories to find!' Alice shouted from behind.

'Ah, wouldn't you like to know?' the man sang back. But he had to admit, if only in his mind, that Alice was right.

_That fox Chain felt special. Like it was something of great importance to him. Like it was something that he had…lost. And forgotten. _

Weaving through the cobbled streets of Calvaire – careful not draw too much attention – they followed Sharon, who in turn was tracking her Chain, the Black Unicorn Eques.

'I'm surprised that they haven't noticed yet.' Sharon said. 'I wonder if-'

Alice snorted. 'If it's a trap? Like they can trap the great B-Rabbit!' Alice laughed, the look in her eye suggesting that any traps would be met with her large scythe.

* * *

They skid to a stop in the middle of a long, narrow alleyway that smelt like crushed garlic gathered from someone's armpit. The buildings seemed to lean in from the sides, and there were many broken windows and jarred doors.

They looked at Sharon, who nodded. Immediately, Alice challenged her would be opponents: 'Oi! Come out, you cowards!'

Break groaned. He could see the blurred shapes of the houses, the dark holes that indicated where the windows and doors where located. He could feel the still air, and he heard the echoes of Alice's cry. Now he understood why they had caught up with their quarry here, and also another thing – that their opponent knew more about them than he would've thought.

_At least we have a surprise…_

Sharon cried out in pain, clutching her leg. Just as the group turned to check on her, Eques galloped out of one of the windows, neighing.

_So much for our surprise…_

A streak of crimson light followed Eques out the building, and landed in the middle of alleyway. Of course, this wasn't very hard, because the entire width of the narrow alley could be counted as the "middle".

Raven had already released B-Rabbit seal by the time they all had their weapons ready. But something was definitely wrong.

'Alice, are you alright?' asked Oz. Alice's reply was swift and harsh:

'No! I can't use my scythe in this tiny place and I'm squashed! I can hardly move!'

And she was right. In her larger chain form, her shoulders were pressed against the buildings on either side of the alley and she held her scythe almost vertical to stop it from going into the gray bricks. Her size also prevented Oz and Raven from shooting the Chain; she was wedged in between them.

Eques was equally useless, unable to charge without skewering its comrades. The battle was practically over before it even started. But there was still one.

Steel and blood red claws clashed, metallic clangs bouncing off the dark walls. Blocking, parrying, thrusting, locked in a dance of blades, neither was willing to give up. Even Alice watched in silence, although she still resembled the filling of a packed sandwich.

_I can't keep this up forever… if only I could get it out of this tiny place… that, or else… _

Every time Break attempted to force Hollow-Eye out of the alleyway, it would aim at Sharon. Finally, after a particularly fierce exchange of blows, Break gave up trying to do it the "nice" way.

'Enough fooling around, I suppose it's time we got serious…' Break murmured. He unleashed the Mad Hatter.

* * *

'Not good.' She muttered. She had heard enough about the Mad Hatter to know that her Chain wasn't a match for it. Calling back her fox-like Chain, the girl fastened her hooded cloak and prepared to make her appearance.

_I guess we need to take some chances sometimes … man, I hope I can get out of this one. _

Landing lightly a few paces in front of the Mad Hatter's contractor, she gave a curtsey. 'No hard feelings, right? Uh, hi, my names Cassidy. I don't want to fight, so, you know… the Mad Hatter and B-Rabbit…'

Her voice trailed off into the darkness. Not exactly a confident introduction, she had to admit, but pretty good given the circumstances. To her surprise, the white haired man replied:

'Certainly. Now, Miss Cassidy, there are a few questions that we would like to ask you…but first and foremost, why did you become a Contractor?' _The answer to this question should help us predict her intents, actions and allegiances…_

The hood fell back, revealing Cassidy's face for the first time. Looking Break straight in the eye, she said: 'I want answers.'

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Ta-dah! How was it? There's gonna be less action in the next chapter and less mystery as well. Yep, I'm gonna get started on the Romance… wish me luck! Also, thankyou for all the reviews, I love reading them! Until next time~


	3. On the Moonlit Balcony

**Cassidy is in Pandora, and so is Break. What will happen? Sorry for the short chapter, though. Thankyou to all you people who reviewed, especially you people that reviewed more than once! Yep, that means you ****Tomoshibi-Chan****, ****wintermoon13**** and ****Kinoko182****! At least, for now…**

**I don't own Pandora Hearts, but Cassidy and Hollow-Eye are mine! *Suspicious glance at everyone* **

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On the Moonlit Balcony

Tired. Tired of the questions. Tired of the whispers. Tired of Pandora.

_This is __**definitely**__ one of the downsides of being a Contractor._

Fiddling with the purple bow on her chest, Cassidy wandered through the corridors of Pandora headquarters, randomly turning corners and ignoring anyone who passed her. She didn't feel like talking to anyone right now; her last few conversations had consisted entirely of questions and answers.

And there had been _so many_ questions they had asked her. And each time she had truthfully stated 'I don't know', she had been glared at as though she had been lying. But then again, she had not told them everything, either…

_Half illegal Contractor. They just couldn't stand the thought of calling me a half __**legal**__ Contractor, could they? Hah. So I messed up the process a little. At least I'm not gonna be sucked into the Abyss when the clock strikes twelve._

It was true that she was a "half illegal Contractor". She carried a small mirror with two strange hands of a clock etched into it; on her chest was the ring of black diamonds. Of course, her Chain, Hollow-Eye, was proof too.

Frowning, she remembered how they wouldn't even give her any breathing space during the interrogation, but kicked her out before she had time to come up with a decent insult when they had to _privately_ discuss the matter of someone "halfway". It wasn't like she had sacrificed anyone to the Abyss! Her Chain hadn't even eaten a single person! The only people she had killed were illegal Contractors, and they had it coming anyway. They had let Oz Bezarius off the hook, why not her?

_Truth of the Tragedy of Sablier. So all he did was pick the right Chain and they not only let him free, but protect him? Geez. Hollow-Eye ain't that bad. He just doesn't have a giant past life story involving the Tragedy, that's all._

Sighing, she decided to get some fresh air. A few dark and empty halls later, she summoned Hollow andasked him to sniff out some fresh air for her. A few short and intense minutes later – Chains run very fast, following one in a big mansion was no simple task for the untrained – she emerged on a moonlit balcony. At the centre was a small round table covered with a pale pink tablecloth and on either side of it were two simple wooden chairs. Dismissing Hollow, Cassidy sat down on one the chairs and sighed.

_I shouldn't have become a Contractor. It wasn't like it was my __**duty **__to find my father. It wasn't __**his **__duty to become a Contractor anyway. All this and nothing. Not even a single clue to where he might be, and I can't even go back to my own home after all this. I can't go back. And I'm not sure how to go forward. Nothing good has come out of any of this._

Something bumped her booted foot softly. Looking down, Cassidy stared for a moment, shocked. Then she screamed.

'Aiiieeeeee!'

'My, my Miss Cassidy. I only came here to check on you; you looked so lonely sitting here by yourself.' Break explained.

'And I thought that Liam and Alice were joking! Seriously, don't do that, it scares the sh-'

'Now then, that isn't the way for a lady of a noble family to speak.' The albino crawled out from under the table and pulled the remaining other chair so that it was beside his prey. 'But then again, you do not seem to be your average aristocrat…'

_Amazing, she hardly compared to everyone else's reaction the first time I do that. There__** is**__ something special about her…perhaps that's why…_

'Heh, I gave up the noble life a long time ago.' The red head replied. 'It just wasn't for me.'

_Or she's too proud to scream like a little girl._

'Ah, yes. Well, since your records seem clean –' _actually, we don't have __**any**__ records, she's kept too quiet…and yet she knows so much about us…_ '– we're deciding to let you off! In fact, since you aren't exactly an _illegal_ Contractor, we're letting you join Pandora!'

Beaming, Break held out a Pandora pendant. Cassidy's blue eyes crossed to watch it swing inches from her nose. Reaching up slowly, she pushed the metal away from her face and looked the white haired man in his red eye – she couldn't see his other one beneath all that hair.

'Uh, 'kay. I'll join.' _Like I have a choice!_

If possible, Break's smile got bigger. 'Excellent!'

Sitting back down, Break stowed away the pendant to who-knows-where and ate a piece of candy that he produced from nobody-know-that-place. He offered Cassidy one too, but she wasn't one who ate things that appeared from out-of-nowhere. A relaxed silence crept between them. Usually, Break was the bane of silences, but he didn't feel inclined to explode into insanity. He just wanted to… enjoy the moment. _With her._

And so they just sat there, Cassidy because she had to digest all the new information and make a mental note to check under tables – although according to Liam, it didn't help – and Break because it was pleasant. At least, for him.

Of course, being humans, they fell asleep like this and Pandora flew into panic until Shelly Rainsworth found them and shooed them to their rooms.

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Break has feelings! For Cassidy, that is. And Cassidy…well, not yet. But soon! After all, they go to work together now, don't they? Sort of. Okay, so it wasn't serious kissing and hugging and Break proposing or at least outrageous flirting. But whatcha expect? He's not Oscar, and it's bad to come on too strong. Next chapter might involve serious flirting, though, because Cassidy will be meeting… everyone else!

**Review, tell me whatcha think! If you don't, Barma will wear a bikini and hang from your ceiling lamp (In other words, you will soon go blind).**


	4. Recite Your Past

**Chapter FOUR! Woohoo! Sorry for taking so long, but I went to the 2010 Cosfest! It was sooo awesome, and I got some really cool photos of Alice, Will of the Abyss, Lavi and Yu Kanda cosplayers. Most of the people were cosplaying Volcaloid, so yeah.**

**Now, you would think that Break would give poor Cassidy a day to get used to things, right? WRONG. Just because he destroyed the thing-which-he-found-in-another-dimension-and-had-destroyed-to-protect-someone which had something to do with a-certain-someone-and-a-certain-tragedy doesn't mean he's given up! That's right, Cassidy, it's your first mission; go to you-know-who and try to squeeze you-know-what information from him! (Here's a Tip: Stay away from the scissors, especially if you're a stuffed toy).**

**If you don't know, then this chapter will contain spoilers. (Episode 16 or something close in the anime I think)**

**I don't own Pandora Hearts, but I do own you-can-guess. **

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**Recite Your Past**

'NO! I'm not, I mean _never_, gonna wear _that_ dress!'

Her blue eyes wide with horror at the frilly pink specimen in Sharon's hands, Cassidy took refuge behind a chair, trying to edge her way to the door. The girl calculated that she still had a chance, considering that Sharon still hadn't introduced her…

Suddenly, the romancing loving Contractor gained a menacing aura. Carefully placing the outfit on the bed, her dainty hands reached behind her back and drew out two paper fans. They were a light shade of blue and a bit larger than average, but the other girl didn't notice this much. She was concentrating on convincing herself that no matter how stiff they looked, they probably felt like paper. They were made of paper, right? Sharon advanced. 'Now, Miss Cassidy, you won't look like a _proper_ lady if you wear that nasty coat and those pants!'

'Okay! I'll wear that dress! No need to get violent.' _After all, you've already done way more damage already…_

'Pardon?'

'Nothing!'

* * *

'So, since you have agreed to help us find the Truth, with the possibility that you may also find some answers of your own, we –' Here, he received glares from the other occupants in the room '– ahem,_ I_ want you to confront Vincent Nightray at tonight's ball and do your best to get whatever Chain, Tragedy or Baskerville related information out of him!'

Waving his sleeved hands around like he was trying to fly, Break grinned widely as he finished giving his instructions. From what he knew of her so far, and his previous experiences with nobles becoming Contractors, he expected a 'No way!' or 'How?' from the redhead. Instead, Cassidy clearly answered:

'Aren't you gonna say that I look prettier like this or something?'

'Oh, so you lack confidence, do you? Well, maybe we should go forward with this plan after all…' _Besides, it's not like I can judge that,_ he thought silently to himself.

Cassidy opened her mouth for a good comeback when Break interrupted her. 'Besides, complimenting young ladies is _his_ job.' The white haired man gestured in the direction of the door to the room, which opened to reveal Oscar Bezarius.

'Break, you rascal! Just because you don't usually comment on the beauty of young women doesn't mean that the rest of us need to remain silent!' the large man boomed. Behind him stood his nephew; with bickering servant and Chain in tow.

Alice didn't hesitate to smear dirt on Gil's name. 'Hey there, I'm Alice, the powerful B-Rabbit. That wimpy guy over there with the smoking problem is Seaweed Head; the manservant of my manservant, and he's jealous of my power and that's why we're fighting!'

'Oi! Stupid rabbit! No one's stupid enough to be jealous of you, you meat-hogger!'

Mistaking the man's words, the Chain replied, 'I don't hug meat! I eat it!'

Cassidy took a step back from the hostility. According to Liam, it could reach a stage where guns, knives and scythes were involved.

'Don't worry; they never kill anyone with these fights!'

Feeling a hand on her shoulder and seeing white hair out of the corner of her eyes, Cassidy took this moment of relative privacy – everyone else's attention was fixed on the rabbit and Seaweed – to ask a few questions. 'Okay, what's with the hair?'

_Already? That was fast. She's going to ask me about my past next pretty soon; I wonder how I can explain __**that**__ to her without her freaking out?_ Formulating a cryptic answer, Break whispered mysteriously, 'It's very stylish, no?'

'Liam was right; no one can talk to you without going insane.'

'Why thank you!'

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'So, _Isabelle _is a friend of Sharon's, who went to our neighbouring country to study exotic medicine and only recently came back. Right.' Oz couldn't help but stare. Cassidy looked gorgeous in her pink dress, the lilac ribbons in her hair giving a nice touch. Also, the dress hugged her sleek body in a way that complimented her figure. In short, Oz was following his uncle in the ways of the Bezarius.

Cassidy tried to convince herself that the reason Oz was staring was that her beautiful amber hair had now been dyed jet black, or that her heavy makeup had almost completely changed her face. Assuming that Vincent hadn't seen her much – he was mostly asleep during the meetings and interrogations, due to Yamane's power – they had all agreed that it was easy to fool him with Cassidy's altered appearance. Now, all they had needed was a convincing story to explain some of the Abyss related questions that she was going to ask.

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Flashback:

_The midnight moon shone through the window on the far side of the room, providing soft silver light where candles had died banishing the darkness with their flames. _

'_If we want Miss Cassidy to appear as some innocent and confused girl who was dragged into this entire thing all because of her friendship with you, Milady, we need her to be, well, you know…' Break's voice trailed off in his typical sing-song manner, but Sharon got his meaning._

'_She needs to act different, correct?' _

'_Yes. And she needs to convince Vincent that the questions she asks are completely for her own knowledge and self-assurance, not because I ordered her to.'_

'_Don't worry. Cassidy's an intelligent girl at her best, plus she is motivated.'_

'_I just hope that her determination to find her missing father isn't turned against us.'_

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After checking that her outfit was at the peak of perfection, the Rainsworth lady addressed the newest addition to their group. 'One last time, if you don't mind, Miss Cassidy – or should I say, Miss Isabelle.'

"Isabelle" sighed heavily. Immediately, she received several annoyed – in Break's case, mock-grumpy – glances. Catching herself in an attempt to prove that she wouldn't blow the whole operation up, the girl coughed daintily instead.

Instead of a congratulations or praise for her acting prowess, the albino man offered some advice and motivation. 'Now, now, Miss Isabelle, you know what they say: Say a lie enough times and it becomes as the truth!'

'Sure. So if I say 'Break doesn't exist then –' even though half his face was covered, the subject of Cassidy's theory shot her a look that said "You just try that". 'Fine. I'm Sharon's childhood friend, Isabelle. I came back recently and got attacked by an Illegal Contractor but I was recued by – '

'– by yours truly!' chimed Break.

'– yeah, by Sugar-Throat. Of course, with us being friends and all, you let me in on the whole Abyss thing and now I'm dragged into this entire thing with you guys. But you've still given me the choice of becoming a Contractor or not so and most of the questions I ask will be related to Contractors until I somehow force him to talk about the Baskervilles and the Tragedy.'

'And if he doesn't want to talk about those rather sensitive topics?' Break made could everything sound awkward. Cassidy was beginning to get used to it.

'Then I say that I overheard you saying something about it and I'm curious and stuff.'

'You know, Break, I think you want Cassidy to mention you. You want to know what Vincent thinks of you.'

'Hahaha, aren't you a smart little boy?'

The carriage jolted to a stop. Announcing the obvious, Break exclaimed, 'Right, we're here!'

_Ok. You're going to try to get a murderer to talk about his bloody past by posing as someone innocent and powerless, not to mention completely fake. _

Cassidy tried to think of the positives. _At least there's free food._

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So, how was it? For those of you who didn't know that Vincent Nightray was involved with the Tragedy, sorry. But I did warn ya. Next few chapters will probably be on the ball. Please review; feel free to tell me if the romance isn't developing well or that I messed something up with the storyline or the words. Oh, and just as a warning, I don't like Vincent Nightray all that much. SO YOU BETTER WATCH OUT, SEWER RAT!


	5. An Eye for Colour

**Wah! Sorry for not updating and thankyou to those of you who are still with me! My homework pile slightly resembled Liam's! heh. Project my foot, I wish I had a Chain, then I wouldn't**_***mumble mumble* ...**_

**The point is, chapter 5 is up, so enjoy!**

**Just so you know: **

**- all the thoughts belong to Cassidy**

**- Break has told her everything he knows and suspects of Vincent**

**- and I do not own Pandora Hearts**

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**An Eye for Colour**

_Since when did I wear heels…while walking towards a murderer?_

She watched as her "friends" moved away from her to their respective positions should anything go wrong. She wasn't sure why Eques was supposed to guard_ Oz_ instead of her, but apparently he was still top priority. Of course. Weaving her way between ladies in silk and men with giant moustaches, Cassidy – with dyed black hair and pink frilly dress – approached her target: _Vincent Nightray._

The young man was alone, holding a glass of wine. _Now or never._

Putting on a well-practiced mildly scared expression and speaking in a quiet and uncertain voice, Cassidy took the first step into the lion's den: 'Excuse me, are you Lord Vincent Nightray?'

Turning, the mismatched eyes met hers. 'Yes I am. May I help you Miss…'

'Isabelle.' The girl paused, suddenly seeing a flaw in the plan. Thinking quickly, she hastily added, 'Isabelle Fracture.'

_Okay. I'm dead._

'Fracture? Not meaning to be rude, but that_ is_ a rather unusual name.' The Nightray chuckled.

'Uh, yes. People say that a lot, even in my home country. Heh heh.'

'Ah, so you're foreign!'

'Uh, yes. Well, my name is quite unusual…'_ C'mon, think realistic! What would really happen if your name was "Fracture"?_ 'I'm a friend of Sharon Rainsworth. Break used to tease me a lot about my name too.'

'Ah, you shouldn't take that man's words seriously.'

'Oh, err…yes…I have learned that by now…' seeing her chance, Cassidy seized it with both hands. 'You're a Contractor too, right, Lord Vincent? I-I wanted to know, from yourself, because Break sort of hinted that-'

Vincent cut her off. 'We mustn't speak of such things in a crowded room such as this, Miss Isabelle. There may be unwanted ears about! Please, come with me…'

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Following the blonde man with caution, Cassidy tried her best to remember the route they took to distance themselves from "unwanted ears". All the doors looked the same in the Nightray mansion, which, in proper style of mansions, had many corridors with many, _many_, doors. Cassidy soon felt as though she was being led into some sort of indoor maze, and the pace Vincent was going at wasn't helping her mental map making either; the speed he was going at suggested that he was trying to find a bathroom – fast – without appearing suspicious.

At last, they approached a door that looked like every other door, and he opened it to reveal an average looking room with a closet, bed, armchair… well, most of the furniture that you would expect to find in a guest room. It looked like it had been prepared for someone, which made Cassidy very wary… and slightly scared…

While Cassidy tried to convince herself that the room had been prepared for someone else, Vincent spoke, 'Now that we are alone, what was it that you wanted talk to me about, Miss Isabelle?'

'I wanted to ask about the, um, Contractors, and the Illegal Contractors, and well, um… I'm not sure if I should be asking about _them_…'

'Ah, you are going a bit fast for me there! Firstly, about the Contractors…'

They spoke about Contractors and their Chains for a while, and then, as Cassidy had hoped, the conversation went into deeper matters.

'B-Rabbit is the most power Chain? B-But isn't Alice the B-Rabbit? And she looks like a normal girl!'

'Ah yes, well, we don't know that much about the Chains or the Abyss right now, that's mainly what Pandora is for. Don't worry, if B-Rabbit should ever get out of hand, we would easily restrain her.' To Cassidy, Vincent seemed to say the last few words to comfort her rather than to tell the truth. 'Anything else?'

'Oh, yes, that is, if you have the time…' In reality, Cassidy was tired of disguising her voice, and she just wasn't used to her dress. _Time to get to the point. If I die here, I blame it on you, Break, for making me do this_. 'Alice is connected to this thing called the "Tragedy of Sablier", am I correct? And she's, she's, she's dead, right?'

That seemed to surprise Vincent. 'Ah, I didn't expect them to tell you so much… but it is unknown if this _story_ is true, the Abyss has been known to create illusions…'

_Ooh, did I hit a nerve?_ Cassidy mentally noted Vincent's reaction to that particular statement.

'And such hazy facts are usually kept under lock and key, in fact, my knowledge on this topic isn't very clear at all, especially with Yamane putting me to sleep all the time. I'm afraid that I can't answer questions that I don't have answers for myself!'

_Tell it to the judge, you're hiding something, and I don't need my Chain to sniff out what it is. Moving on, I guess._

'I'm sorry, maybe I wasn't supposed to talk about that,' as soon as the words left the girl's mouth, Vincent seemed to relax a bit more. He appeared to be confident on being able to handle the next subject that "Isabelle" questioned him on. Little did he know…

'There are people called the Baskervilles, right?'

That seemed to alert Vincent that perhaps something was up. 'Again, those are delicate matters. Right now, we only know that they are a threat to young Oz Bezarius and also that they are Contractors, and that they were once a duke family as well, before they caused the Tragedy of Sablier. Their motives are not yet known, other than the fact that they are trying to gain something from destroying certain artefacts connected perhaps to the Tragedy.'

_Sounds like he's quoting something. Something's up…_

Suddenly, Vincent yawned. 'Ah, Yamane seems to be vying for my attention once again. If you do not mind, I must ask you to leave, unless you wish to watch me sleep. Echo here will lead you back to the party.'

The door swung open, revealing a white haired girl in a blue outfit. Quietly, she said, 'Please follow Echo back to the party.'

After closing the door of the room, Echo led Cassidy back to the party. It seemed all the livelier after the tense discussion with the Nightray. As soon as Echo had slipped off into the crowd, Cassidy allowed herself a sigh of relief. She would happily fight through a legion of Trumps – Hollow-Eye provided – that have another conversation with the odd-eyed Contractor. _And that silent Echo girl was giving me the creeps too._

After standing alone for a short while, she decided that she wanted some fresh air. There was just something off about the Nightray mansion, at least, while Vincent Nightray still resided within its walls.

* * *

Wandering out into the gardens, Cassidy walked among the black roses of the Nightray house. She heard soft mumbling coming from behind another large bush. Going around it, she saw a little girl holding a teddy bear.

'Don't worry Mister Teddy, I have some buttons right here, and they will make really pretty eyes!'

Careful to keep quite, the older girl drew nearer. Unfortunately, she stepped on a twig.

'Eeeek!'

'Don't worry; I'm not here to hurt you.' Cassidy did her best to look harmless. Deciding to speak before she was questioned, Cassidy added, 'What's wrong with your teddy?'

'Oh, it's not mine; I found him under that window, and look!' The girl held up the toy for her to examine. Its face seemed to have been used as a shield from an angry cat attack. _So this is what Vincent Nightray is capable of. Well, the least he's capable of, anyway._

'I found some buttons, so I'm going to fix him and give him some new eyes. But I have a little problem.'

Having a little sister herself, Cassidy found herself playing along with the girl and even faking a concerned expression. When the child didn't speak, she asked, 'What's the problem?'

'See, I only found two buttons–' she held up a beautiful ruby button and a golden one. 'And they don't match. But I guess I would be alright for Mister Teddy to have a red eye and a yellow one!'

'No.'

The little girl blinked in confusion at the icy tone that Cassidy had used. Even the orange haired girl was surprised at herself. _Wow. Am I going crazy from being in contact with both Break and Vincent Nightray_? 'Uh, what I mean is that I don't think it'll be as nice.'

'But then Mister Teddy will only have one eye! That can't be right!'

She didn't know what made her say it, but somehow, she just answered, without thinking, 'I don't think it's wrong to only have one eye. I think the red one will do fine on its own.'

'Um, I guess you're right. He's really going to be a special teddy bear now!' giggling happily, the girl left Cassidy standing in the gardens alone.

_I wonder…nah. _

_**

* * *

**_

_**Flashback:**_

'_Okay, what's with the hair?'_

'_It's very stylish, no?'_

'_Liam was right; no one can talk to you without going insane.'_

'_Why thank you!'_

**

* * *

**

_Well, maybe._

* * *

**DON'T KILL ME FOR LEAVING BREAK COMPLETELY OUT OF THIS CHAPTER! WAHHH! Oh, and please review! And did you get the flashback? If not, feel free to read the last chapter again. Bye for now!**

**Oh, and thanks for pointing my little mistake out, Nightray of the Abyss**


	6. Thirst for Knowledge

**There are so many spoilers here! And sowwy for not updating in so long! But anyway, I don't own the wonderful Pandora Hearts, and I'm planning on changing this fanfic from 'Romance/Adventure' to 'Romance/Humor' or something. Tell me any suggestions. And I've been watching Fairy Tail and Inuyasha(again!) because they are AWESOME animes, so I might be a little off for PH. Basically the spoilers are:**

**- Duke Barma  
- Break's Past (small hints, anyway)**

**I warned ya…**

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Thirst for Knowledge

'So, he shut you out of every little room of his dark secrets, did he? Just like that sewer rat to do that, crawling away into all his little holes and avoiding telling the truth!' once again, Break called Vincent by his somewhat offensive nickname.

'Well, if the truth really is what you suspect, I really can't imagine anyone – drunk or not – who would let something like that slip. Honestly, you may as well hold him at gunpoint and demand that he say that he's actually a monster slug sent to poison the local cattle while admitting to the truth of the Tragedy.'

Break's comical pout instantly became a goofy grin. Somehow, Cassidy's unique sense of humour and bold, if mildly insulting, statements cheered him up immensely. If fact, they cheered him up a bit more – or so he suspected – than they even should. 'But you mentioned that his reactions to your, ah, rather unexpected knowledge were quite, hmm, _interesting_, correct?'

'Yeah, I think you would've paid most of your sugar-coated teeth to have been there.'

Deciding to drop such serious matters for just a moment, he countered, 'If my beautiful teeth are sugar-coated, wouldn't they have all fallen out?'

Relieved that she could now push the memories of the previous night away to the back of her mind, Cassidy answered, 'That explains why all you ever eat are lollies and cake.'

Skipping merrily, Break waltzed out of his "interrogation chair" - located behind a desk covered with paperwork – and proceeded to open the door in proper gentlemanly fashion for Cassidy. She gave him a mocking curtsey in return. Somehow, she was beginning to feel at home. Which was just as well, seeing as there was no way she could go back to her proper home.

* * *

'Ehehehe! A letter! Hahaha!' the talking doll cackled gleefully. 'Who's it for?'

Sharon the letter twice before announcing, 'Miss Cassidy, it's addressed to you.'

There was silence while even the infamously impatient Alice waited for her answer. 'Uh, okay, who's it from?' she felt like she was doing a speech the way all eyes – and in one case, eye – were staring at her.

'Er…me?'

'Yes.'

'Oh, okay…' cautiously, as though the letter might bite, Cassidy took it from Sharon's hands and read it out loud for the entire room to hear. 'Dear Miss Cassidy, Duke Barma has requested that you see him in person at the Barma Household when possible, you may bring along a few friends. Signed, Rufus Barma?'

Silence. Then:

'Well now, it seems as though Duke Barma believes that you have some information that he does not yet possess! Shall you accept this rather _interesting _invitation, Miss Cassidy?' Break gave her a look that suggested that if anyone was to accompany her to visit the Duke, he was definitely going to be among them.

Looking straight at him, she replied: 'I didn't think that there was a choice.'

* * *

Cassidy sighed, once again forced to abandon her worn brown pants and navy blue coat for another frilly dress from Sharon. At least this time she got to keep the purple bow that she wore around her neck. And no dyed hair, either. What a relief.

After a bumpy carriage ride – not to mention noisy, since Oz tagged along, so therefore his two faithful companions followed – the entire group arrived at the Barma mansion, where a flustered Liam welcomed them in. All in due time, Cassidy was introduced to the knowledge-filled talking meatball that was Rufus Barma who immediately demanded the information that he wanted, all while seated comfortably on the ceiling sipping tea from his hat.

'HOW? How did you get so much information on Pandora? WHY? Why do you know so much? Tell me! TELL ME!'

Amazingly, Cassidy was not surprised at all being shouted at from a spherical humanoid hanging upside down. She smiled innocently, replying, 'As I said a few days ago, my father told me everything.'

Now, it was Barma's turn to grin. 'Your father, you say? Your father, who is missing? Terrance Ambersail?'

'Everyone in Pandora knows about that.'

'Of course. However, if you give _me_ a bit more information, maybe I'll give _you_ a little insight about something else. Something that could help you in your search…what do you say?'

'Duke Barma, I've seen enough Contractors get sucked into the Abyss to know what's probably happened.'

Barma's moustache wiggled as he frowned. 'Then why? Why are you still searching? I _need_ to know!'

Break waited for Cassidy's answer. But he smiled. As far as he knew, Cassidy wasn't someone who would act without reason. And she did not disappoint him.

'I can't go back to the Ambersail household, because that might bring danger to my family. So I have just got to keep finding a way forward. I'm not sure how I'm going to help Pandora or if I'll ever really find my father, but I'm sure that I'll find a way to go on with my life, so until I have a new reason to live, I'm going to hang on the hope that my father might still be out there somewhere, waiting for me to find him.'

A stunned silence followed her short speech. _So I just have to keep finding a way forward_… slowly, smiles spread across the faces of her friends. The words may have been spoken only to justify and explain herself, but they all saw how they needed to do the same. They might not have known how it was all going to end, but they just had to find a way forward.

The Duke, however, was not impressed. After all, he had read greater things in many ancient texts. 'So, you believe that father has already been taken to the Abyss?'

Break's eye widened in alarm. He knew where this was going, and he was willing to give anything to prevent it, and also feeling extremely idiotic to not have suspected Barma to play this card. It was obvious. And he could already see the connections; _Ambersail, Abyss, gone, back, death, blood, betrayal, grief…_

'So…what if there is a chance that your father could come back?' And that was all Break heard before he collapsed.

**

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**

Ok, no major things about Break's past, but for you smart people or those "in the know" then you can probably see what the next chapter's gonna be about. Plz review, I LOVE reviews. And poor Break! What's gonna happen? Better wait to find out! Hehehehehe. But don't worry, I've got the next chapter all planned out, so just hang in there!


	7. Secrets Revealed

**AH! I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN A WHILE BUT END OF YEAR AND SCHOOL AND STUFF AND STARTED WATCHING BLEACH AND IT WAS GOOD AND THEN MORE SCHOOL AND TESTS AND STUFF AND THEN END OF YEAR THEN HOLIDAYS NOW WRITING FANFICS AGAIN FORGIVE MEEEEE! Okay I don't own Pandora Hearts, Cassidy and her family and her Chain is mine. Okay here is the long awaited chapter 7 of Belonging as One! **

**Spoilers:**

**-Break's past, and what happened in the Abyss, and why he only has one eye. **

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Secrets Revealed

'So…what if there is a chance that your father could come back?

'Come back? You mean, from the Abyss?'

'Yes, that's exactly what I mean! So, do you wanna know?'

'But that's- '

'Impossible? You want proof?'

_Thump._

'Break!'

* * *

'Don't worry, don't worry! I know what happened, how it happened, when it happened, and what's going to happen!'

Cassidy frowned. Barma was beginning to get on her nerves. _So, is he doing all of this just to scare me? Throw me off? Mess up my judgement?_ She inwardly smiled. _Well, I guess I'll have to play along with him for a while…_

'Fine, Mr. Meatball, tell me how people come back from "the Land of No Return".'

At that, aforementioned spherical duke narrowed his cartoonish black eyes. 'Now, now, hold your horses! I don't just tell people things wily-nily, you know! Knowledge is power, and power is dangerous in the wrong hands! At times like these, I, for one, know to be cautious!'

'So, I'm here because-'

'Like I said, if you give me a bit more information, I'll give you a little insight about something else! It's a trade! I absolutely love to know things, and I just can't stand not knowing things! And I seem to be lacking this piece of information, and I just can't think of a more reliable source than you, Miss Cassidy Ambersail!'

As the top hat wearing bowling ball of a man ranted about knowledge and all its advantages and disadvantages, Cassidy noticed something strange. Her friends didn't speak. Or move. When she looked closely, she realized that they, except for Break – who was unconscious – weren't even breathing. _It's like they've turned into statues… Hollow-Eye, check this out for me. And be stealthy about it._

The girl felt the Chain slink around the room, sniffing here and there. _So that's what happened. Wow, all this, just for knowledge? This guy is nuts. Oh well, no pain no gain, I guess._

'… so you see, having knowledge of certain things leads to questions which must be answered by more knowledge. MY QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE IS NEVER ENDING! SO YOU MUST TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW, BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW! I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTION IF YOU ANSWER MINE! SO? TELL ME! TELL ME!'

_Is he losing it? Payback time – Break, prepare to be avenged. This, you hyperactive obese penguin, is what you get when you try to mess with me._ 'Uh, Duke Barma, I might not have the information that you want to know…'

'What?' the shock on the moustached face was evident, to say the least. Then: "NO! I HAVE BEEN MISINFORMED? WHY? WHY IS MY INFORMATION WRONG? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?'

'You just said you wanted to know how I knew so much about Contracts, Chains, the Abyss and Pandora. Well, I've already told everyone that was at the "meeting" how I know so much, so I'll tell you again: my father told me everything.'

At this, the Duke stopped his panic attack. He narrowed his eyes. 'So, Miss Ambersail, how did your father know so much?'

The redhead frowned. _He caught on so quickly…_

'I know what you're thinking. Don't try to mess with me, girl.' Barma was starting to get serious.

_Time for the ace up my sleeve_. 'What about the way _you're_ messing with _me_? Surely, a mere _girl_ isn't worth setting up so many illusions and spells!'

Barma, or rather, the illusion that was supposed to represent him, disappeared. 'So, your Chain can detect illusions? Interesting.'

'Actually, it can't even see illusions. Look, I'll give this little bit of information away as gift of goodwill. Then, you tell me what I want to know, and then I will give you my other piece of "knowledge". But no more beating around the bush. It's getting late, and I haven't had any dinner yet.'

The man standing before her – on the ground – looked at Cassidy with his dark eyes, his red hair flowing behind him as walked towards her until they were at an arms length apart from each other. 'Very well. Proceed.'

Cassidy wasted no time in her explanation. She could tell that she was close. 'My Chain can't see at all. It has to have a Contractor in order to do that, but otherwise, it has to rely on its other senses. Hollow-Eye found out that your scent didn't come from the balloon man you put on the ceiling, but directly under it. I just had to put the pieces together.'

The true Duke Barma smiled. 'Hm, this seems to be quite unique. Now, watch closely, as I give you the information that you seek.'

Cassidy watched as Break, or rather, Kevin's, past unfolded in a series of jumbled memories. She watched him murder and slaughter, using both Albus and his own skills as a knight. Finally, she witnessed the scene when Vincent Nightray – then a young boy – caused the Will of the Abyss to break her dimension up, and how she gouged out one of Kevin Regnard's eyes to replace the one's that her beloved Cheshire had lost.

She gasped. 'Why… didn't he tell me…?'

She watched as Break opened his eyes, obviously having heard her question and recovered some rather unpleasant memories of his own. He remembered how he had raided the Ambersail household, as his Chain thirsted for blood and refused to let such an easy meal slip past, he had been so blinded by loss that he had agreed, only to be repelled by the Ambersail's own knights as they defended the nobles…

Now, he was blinded by fear and shame, and he ran… to hide, to punish himself, to avoid Cassidy, who would surely never forgive him for the day he slaughtered half of her ancestor's friends, family and servants…

* * *

She gasped. 'Why… didn't he tell me…?'

'That doesn't matter to me.' The Duke answered coldly. Cassidy made a move to use Hollow-Eye to break through the long-haired man's barrier and chase after Break, but he expertly threw his metal fan at the ground in front of her, making a large dent on the marble floor.

'That is of no concern to me. However, what _does_ concern me is your information, which you have not yet revealed.'

Cassidy glared at him. 'Lizard Bill. He was my father's Chain. His powers are focused around getting into tricky places without being detected, as _you_ should _know_.' The two words were filled with venom.

With that, the girl called her Chain to her side, and sprinted full pelt out of Barma's dome shaped barrier. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her friends pounding, shooting and kicking – and in Alice's case, biting – the barrier as she rushed past them and out into the night, ignoring their startled cries.

Her Chain barely paused as it followed the scent left behind by the only man to survive the Abyss. 'Break! Come back!'

'W-what should we do?' Sharon panicked. 'I didn't know that they would run away like this, so Eques was on Oz all this time!'

'What do we do? We go after them, of course! C'mon, manservant!'

'HE'S NOT YOUR SERVANT, YOU STUPID RABBIT!'

'Uh, I think that they will be fine.'

'HUH?'

The two people and Chain turned to the blonde illegal Contractor.

'Well, both Break and Cassidy are really strong, and I'm sure that they'll come back. We should probably let them sort this out on their own, because it seems like the right thing to do, don't you think?' Oz smiled.

'HOW CAN YOU JUST ACCEPT THAT?'

_Oh, yeah, this is Oz…_

* * *

Cassidy had her Chain track Break down, and found him sitting under a tree. It was raining, and he was soaked. But she could see that down the side of his face his wet hair was covered in fresh blood. One scarlet stained hand was scratching a hollow eye socket. 'Break!'

The man looked up, his surprise evident on his face. He smiled weakly. 'Sorry for not telling you anything. Heh, you must hate me for what I did.'

He tensed when he felt her hand grab his bloodstained one, preventing him from harming himself any further. She pulled out white coth, and tried to stop the bleeding. Break pushed her hand away to hold the cloth himself.

'Break, if you think that I would hate you that easily, then, then…' tears pouring down her face and mixing with the rain, Cassidy's death grip on Break's hand loosened. Choking back the sobs, she managed to get the last of her message through her trembling lips. 'Then you're a, a… a big _idiot!_'

The white-haired man smiled.

_**

* * *

**_

Flashback:

'_I –I'm sorry you had to witness that, Lady Cassandra!' stuttered the white-haired knight. His bloodstained hands holding a bloody dagger, Kevin Regnard tried to look the woman in the eyes as he tried to explain. 'I didn't think that it would survive, I'm so sorry that you had to see, I really thought that it would be for the best- '_

_Unexpectedly, the lady of the Ambersail noble house smiled. 'I believe that it was for the better as well. That creature did not deserve to suffer, and giving it a quick death was a kindness.'_

'_Th-thank you, Lady Cassandra.' mumbled Kevin. He pushed dirt over the hole where the corpse of the recently departed animal lay, burying it. After a slight pause, he added, 'I know you liked that cat very much.'_

'_Yes, Kevin, I did.'_

'_I'm so sorry, you must hate me now, I wouldn't blame you –'_

_Cassandra cut him off. 'Kevin, if you think that I would hate you so easily, then you __**are**__ a fool.'_

_The knight blinked at the icy tone of voice. Then he bowed. 'Yes, Lady Ambersail.'_

'_Now, let's get the blood off your hands; please be careful, I have a meeting with Duchess Sherlyn Rainsworth soon and she would be horrified if I had blood on my dress!'_

_She chuckled, and Kevin couldn't help but smile. There was always something about her that comforted him. And sometimes, when she worked her magic with her words and laughter, he would wonder… about just how close they were…_

* * *

'I know.' He whispered. Still holding the cloth to his bleeding eye, he leant close to the amber-haired girl. Using his other hand, he traced her face until he felt her lips. Then, he kissed her.

Still sobbing, the girl kissed back. She felt his hand slide from her face to her back, and then he hugged her. They stayed like that for a few moments, and then they pulled apart. But they remained close together.

'We should be heading back.'

'Ready when you are, Lady Ambersail.'

**

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Okay, kissy-kissy! Also, Keeping with the Oscar-Oz, Cheryl-Shelly-Sharon, it's Cassidy-Cassandra! Also, Lizard Bill is a reference to the real Alice in Wonderland's Bill the Lizard, who can climb into chimneys because only he and someone else has a ladder in Wonderland. Yes, I actually did research for a fic! So, kinda going for broke with the romance now… tell me if I'm completely messing the genre up. Please review!


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